3GScottishUser
25th September 2005, 11:24 AM
From The Independent (25/09/2005):
Mobile phone company O2 has overtaken rival Orange as the network operator with the most subscribers in the UK, according to a report out this week.
Orange, owned by France Telecom, had been the largest operator since 2001. But in June this year its market share stood at 23.8 per cent, just behind O2's 24.1 per cent. Global giant Vodafone is third with 22.7 per cent, says Continental Research.
Carrie Pawsey, wireless analyst at technology consultancy Ovum, said: "It's a very competitive market. Usually in Europe the incumbent operator is well in the lead. But [in the UK] they need to be quite innovative and offer more services."
The report found that mobile phone users are, on average, sending fewer picture messages than in 2002 and 2003 as the novelty wears off and people become aware of the costs.
The research also showed that the proportion of British adults with a mobile phone stood at 82 per cent in June, marking a slowdown in the growth of subscribers. This means that the companies need to increase revenues from existing customers by offering extra services.
Tomorrow, O2 will announce that its long awaited i-mode mobile internet service will be available from next weekend to customers in the UK and Ireland. DoCoMo, the Japanese mobile phone company, has developed the technology and licensed it exclusively to O2 in these areas. It will be launched in Germany, where O2 has its third customer base, next year. The i-mode platform already has 45 million subscribers around the world.
The technology will give O2 customers who subscribe to the service quicker and easier access to the internet. Unlike most existing online services available on phones in the UK, content will be specially tailored to mobile-sized screens. Some 80 content providers have been signed up offering 3D-based games, online shopping and banking, and other services.
Full Story (http://news.independent.co.uk/business/news/article314854.ece)
Mobile phone company O2 has overtaken rival Orange as the network operator with the most subscribers in the UK, according to a report out this week.
Orange, owned by France Telecom, had been the largest operator since 2001. But in June this year its market share stood at 23.8 per cent, just behind O2's 24.1 per cent. Global giant Vodafone is third with 22.7 per cent, says Continental Research.
Carrie Pawsey, wireless analyst at technology consultancy Ovum, said: "It's a very competitive market. Usually in Europe the incumbent operator is well in the lead. But [in the UK] they need to be quite innovative and offer more services."
The report found that mobile phone users are, on average, sending fewer picture messages than in 2002 and 2003 as the novelty wears off and people become aware of the costs.
The research also showed that the proportion of British adults with a mobile phone stood at 82 per cent in June, marking a slowdown in the growth of subscribers. This means that the companies need to increase revenues from existing customers by offering extra services.
Tomorrow, O2 will announce that its long awaited i-mode mobile internet service will be available from next weekend to customers in the UK and Ireland. DoCoMo, the Japanese mobile phone company, has developed the technology and licensed it exclusively to O2 in these areas. It will be launched in Germany, where O2 has its third customer base, next year. The i-mode platform already has 45 million subscribers around the world.
The technology will give O2 customers who subscribe to the service quicker and easier access to the internet. Unlike most existing online services available on phones in the UK, content will be specially tailored to mobile-sized screens. Some 80 content providers have been signed up offering 3D-based games, online shopping and banking, and other services.
Full Story (http://news.independent.co.uk/business/news/article314854.ece)